Nine courses keep you coming back

June 15, 2006

Whether you are a low-handicapper or simply enjoy walking the course for exercise, there are plenty of opportunities for golf within a 10-minute drive of downtown South Bend. Head east to Granger and you'll find Juday Creek Golf Club with its wonderfully difficult 2nd hole and more parallel water than a boat slip. In Mishawaka, the Eberhart-Petro Municipal Course is located on the quiet banks of the St. Joseph River. West of South Bend is the Blackthorn Golf Course, built on the rolling hills and woods that used to comprise four family farms. The back 9 includes a cart ride through an old milk barn, complete with a real bullpen. Just four miles north and west of Blackthorn is Elbel Golf Course. There are two family-friendly nine-hole courses to the south of downtown South Bend. The first is Studebaker Golf Course, the city's oldest course and a spot where nearly every area golfer starts out. About eight miles south of downtown is Robin Hood Golf Course, a quirky and fun nine-holer with a couple of gadget holes. Lying between Studebaker and Robin Hood is one of the city's finest and most enjoyable courses: Erskine Golf Course. The University of Notre Dame offers two courses. The first is the challenging and intriguing Warren Golf Course. The other is the nine-hole remnant of the campus's original 18-hole course, just a few steps from the famous Golden Dome.